Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen flips chair in fiery meeting with coaching staff
NEW YORK — Brodie Van Wagenen flipped a lid on his coaching staff — and then he flipped a chair for good measure.
Following yet another bullpen implosion in a loss to the Phillies on Friday night, the New York Mets’ rookie GM expressed anger and frustration toward his coaches — including manager Mickey Callaway — multiple sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports.
After flipping the chair, Van Wagenen told Callaway to go conduct his “(Expletive) press conference,” according to the New York Post, which first reported the heated incident.
Asked about the incident after Saturday’s 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Callaway responded: “I think that when we have private meetings, we'll probably keep all that content in that room, for good reason.”
Asked about his relationship with Van Wagenen, Callaway responded: “It's fantastic. We're both passionate guys and what not.”
The Mets entered Saturday’s game in fourth place in the NL East with a 39-49 record, 13.5 games back of first-place Atlanta.
Van Wagenen’s first season with the Mets began with bold declarations — including the now infamous “Come get us” — but has been marred by poor performances by several of his key acquisitions.
Edwin Diaz (5.67 ERA) and Robinson Cano (.244 batting average) — brought in by Van Wagenen in a blockbuster trade with Seattle — came into Saturday with a combined negative-1.1 bWAR.
In late June, Van Wagenen was alleged to have communicated with his coaching staff during games regarding moves, according to Yahoo Sports sources.
Van Wagenen denied that was the case, though sources said the GM communicated with his staff multiple times, citing an incident in Arizona on June 1 with the handling of Jacob deGrom.
Callaway, the embattled skipper, cursed at a reporter and pitcher Jason Vargas threatened that same reporter following a loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Both Callaway and Vargas were fined by the team for their actions.
Van Wagenen has defended Callaway, but the team is on the brink of being a seller heading into the All-Star break.
The Mets elected to fire pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez during the season and replace them with Phil Regan and Ricky Bones. Jeremy Accardo was also hired as pitching strategist.
